


Tale as Old as Time

by WonderPickle



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: (in future chapters), AU, Action, Adventure, Complicated Histories, F/M, Revenge, Romance, Secrets, but i'm trying, can't say it'll be the best thing you ever read, gwevin - Freeform, hidden histories, keeping secrets to protect cliché, the Tennyson family is a royal family, there's some drama in the fam, they rule a planet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-11-04 05:03:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10983915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WonderPickle/pseuds/WonderPickle
Summary: Kevin Levin has been waiting years to get his revenge on the Tennyson planet for what it's done. King Maximus doesn't plan on allowing that to happen. But Kevin discovers the king's biggest weakness: his granddaughter, Princess Gwendolyn. And revenge might just be his, after all. Then an unexpected romance starts to bloom. What ever happened to remaining loyal? Gwevin AU.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hello! thanks for visiting my story!
> 
> now that summer is around the corner, I'm finally starting a big gwevin story (yay!). that's right. a multi-chap AU. I've been working on this story for quite some time now. a year maybe. I finally feel like it's ready to post. 
> 
> before I really get into this, I'd like to thank my girl, Kevin be my life on FFN, because she convinced me to finally post this:) 
> 
> also, just a warning in advance, I do suffer from mental illness, and because of that, I often find it difficult to get myself to write. I have to be in the right mood and have the motivation and such. this means that I can't promise scheduled updates. I will have much more free time when summer comes, so updates will be more often, but it's not like they'll be weekly or anything. I don't know when they'll be.
> 
> anyway, this is my first multi-chap fic, so I can't say it'll be the greatest story you've ever read. I'm still figuring a lot of plot-related stuff. bear with me throughout this.
> 
> now that I've gotten all that out of the way, thanks again for coming! I really hope you enjoy! :)

"When I'm done with you, I will see to it personally that you are sentenced to a lifetime in the Null Void."

"I'd like to see you try."

The sword's metallic hum sliced through the air, the noise wedging itself between King Maximus' eardrums and the other sounds around him that couldn't find their own entrance.

It was all red. His eyes were blinded by it. Burning hatred, numbing every sense except his warlike instincts.

Anger radiated off him as if he were made from it. One foot in front of the other, his throat burned with a battle cry, racing towards his opponent, the infamous Kevin Levin.

Kevin only chuckled at him, his laughter antagonistic and devilish. Before pouncing to his feet, he spit a small mouthful of scarlet blood onto the ground nearby.

King Maximus became more agitated by his adversary finding this battle amusing, his chest constricting with the breaths he struggled to produce. Rage slithered like an unwanted snake into his tone, interweaving itself between each and every word. "You killed my people! Tried to kill my  _grandson_! You deserve to rot in the Null Void with the rest of the criminal scum!"

The surface of his demeanor was mockingly jestful, but it was clear to see the hunger for battle and revenge nearly breaking the exterior shell. Nearly. "' _Scum_ '?  _Really_? I'm hurt, Max." Sarcasm latched on like a leech to his sentences.

Kevin ducked as the king's sword took a swipe at his head.

After missing his target, Maximus straightened for a moment. Eyes narrowed into thin slits, he peered at the younger man. "You won't get away with your crimes. You  _will_  pay," he growled, shifting the position of his weapon, "In your own blood."

Kevin grinned, evil mischievousness brightening his dark pupils. "Go ahead. I dare you, old man."

Maximus flexed his fingers. He proceeded to let loose a final wail of rage, honoring the people lost that day due to Kevin Levin's bloodlust.


	2. Disobeying Orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She can't stand being trapped in her room while she knows her grandfather is risking his life. This isn't right.

Anxiously, Gwen’s leg tapped against the floor of her bed chambers, and she drummed her fingers on the book in front of her. She wanted to focus,  keep her mind from bathing in the worries that silence only worsened ,  but was finding concentration a difficult task to achieve. Woes gripped control over her mind, not allowing the words on the page to melt into thoughts like they should’ve. 

The thin pages bended against her tense fingertips as she flipped through the book.

Her bed chambers typically provided her with the solitude and quiet she longed for. Though big and lavish, the space just felt like a prison now. 

With a shift of her head, she threw a glance at the large wooden door keeping her contained here, calling out, “Helen?” Her tone was not as patient and kind as it tended to be. More demanding. 

She couldn’t help it.

Promptly, a blue-skinned woman entered. She was quick, legs stretching out in front of her speedily to reach the princess. Her torn dress circled around her feet while she moved. Within a few seconds, she was in close enough range to ask, "Yes, your Highness?"    


Gwen pursed her lips, recognizing that her eyes were brimming with what was eating away at her from the inside. But Helen knew her far too well for an attempt at hiding it to be successful. "Any news on my grandfather?"    


Helen shook her head before speaking. "You know I don’t have any more idea than you do."

The princess’ shoulders dropped as a heavy breath passed through the space between her lips. "I need  _ more  _ information than that." She gestured to the obscured windows. “Clearly I haven’t been given updates on what’s going on.”   


Helen’s expression twisted into one of grimness. "There's not much more I can give you. I haven’t even been permitted to leave your corridors to go catch a glimpse myself."   


Gwen barely repressed a groan bubbling in her throat. Her fingers curled tightly around the book’s fragile pages. "I can't stand being in here. I should’ve gone out there.”

"This battle has been going on for hours. And we don't know how much longer it's going to last." She shifted her feet, but still kept her stance on what she was saying. "You can pretend you have a choice about leaving here, but it's not like you do."

The green orbs above her nose blinked swirls of stormy ire. “You don’t have to be so snarky about it.”

Despite the royal’s comment, Helen didn’t appear fazed. “Remember it’s not my decision, Princess. You have the to right to be angry, but you don’t need to direct that anger at me.”

Frustration dug away at her forehead, pushing her eyebrows into a position of furrowing. “Of  _ course _ I’m angry,” she grunted. 

“LIke I said, as you have the right to be.”

It was lacing itself into her tone. "People are dying. My grandfather is fighting for his life. Yet, I'm still here."   


Helen sighed. "There isn’t any way I can let you go."

"Wouldn’t it be nice if you could?" she muttered, sarcasm heavy.   


Helen’s expression was almost a smirk. "I know you don’t enjoy obeying orders." 

Gwen’s glare was far from amused. "I just can't stand waiting here like some sort of damsel." She dropped into her desk chair again, weighed down by the chains of frustration at her sides. 

"I get that, Princess. But you heard the king's decision. You are not permitted to leave your bed chambers until this is all over," Helen responded. Her voice sounded like an attempt at comfort. But it didn’t possess the intended effect.

Gwen scrunched her nose. She was nauseated by the helplessness inundating her. “This is ridiculous." 

Helen outstretched her hand to her shoulder. "I can't let you leave."

“He should let other soldiers out there. He should let  _ me _ out there. He can’t do this by himself.”

“Princess, the king’s orders specifically prohibit anyone else from entering the battle zone.  _ Especially _ you.”

Her grandfather was in the midst of a brutal fight. Her cousin had been out there. People she didn’t even know had fought to keep her safe, soldiers with families. With daughters, sons, wives, mothers, fathers. Yet all she could do was wait it out in her stupid palace. 

_ "I can't risk losing you." _

_ "But you can risk losing Ben? Why is that fair?" _

_ "Because you're my baby girl. You're not going out there. And that's final." _

Her fingers were itching painfully with the urge to brandish a sword in their grip. She was a better fighter than Ben was. Her grandfather just hadn't let her go.

But staying here wasn’t right. It didn’t settle right with her. She was going crazy. She didn’t want to be helpless. “I don’t know why I called you in here,” she mumbled, turning her head back towards the books on her desk, "You can go, Helen.”

Wordlessly, she shuffled out the door. There wasn’t much left to be said.

Gwen angrily blew air out of the corner of her mouth, trying to make the stray hair dangling on her forehead move away. Her bejeweled crown kept most of her locks back, as did her ponytail, but some pieces still managed to worm out nonetheless.   


She couldn't focus on anything, so there really wasn’t much of a point to reading. As much as she enjoyed it, distraction pulled her thought bubbles tight, popping every single one that wasn’t concerned with the battle outside.   


She kept thinking about Ben, who had been very  _ very _ close to death, no thanks to the raging skirmish behind these walls. And her grandfather, who was struggling to keep his people safe. She wished so desperately she could help them. Gwen couldn’t stand being subject to stay in her bed chambers, especially while others had been fighting to keep the people safe.  _ Her _ people safe. 

"I'm not some pathetic  _ damsel _ ," she grumbled to herself. 

But it seemed like she was.   


Pushing her palms against the edge of the table, she stood up from her chair.

She huffed, reaching up to run her hands through her hair, but she stopped when her knuckles grazed instantly against her crown. It only caused her to grunt. 

Her crown prevented her from so much these days. It used to signify a position of high rank and superiority. When Gwen was younger she’d never realized how annoying she must’ve been with all that power.

But nowadays the crown felt like the key to the shackles restricting her from so much.

As she moved in the direction of her large bed, a  _ BOOM _ erupted from outside. 

Gwen instinctively jerked her head towards the window. But there wasn't much of a point to that. Upon first glance, it again hit her that her view of the world below was obstructed by the cloth bolted in front of the glass. 

When her grandfather had it put there hours ago, she was infuriated. He claimed it was to protect her from the horrors of battle.  _ She _ knew it was to prevent temptation from leading her outside.

He’d been so concerned with protecting her, Ben, and their people, that he hadn’t been protecting himself.

Another crashing noise boomed outside the walls. 

Annoyance thinned the slits of her eyes.

Gwen spun on her heel. 

Releasing the largest exhale she’d had all day, she let herself drop onto the bed. Her arms stretched out against the soft blankets, her back sinking into the material. Her crown uncomfortably slumped towards the bed, partially falling off her head. She didn’t fix it.

One man was apparently dangerous enough to take down a whole army. To convince her grandfather she shouldn’t be able to see what was happening. To badly injure her cousin.

It all just made her sick.

A moment of silence fell upon her, frustration becoming the only thing to keep her company. 

She'd never heard of Kevin Levin before today. And her grandfather was very keen on keeping it so that she never saw him, either. 

This quietness was quickly interrupted by a third noise. 

It wasn't fair. She should've been helping. If she'd been out there, maybe Ben wouldn't have gotten so badly injured. Maybe the battle would already be over.

Though, it wasn’t a crash, it wasn’t a boom. It was a scream. A blood-curdling scream. Even through these thick walls she could recognize it.

Her grandfather.

Gwen’s spine jolted upwards. A heavy gasp went rogue from her chest, hardly touching her lips as it passed. Her eyes bolted open, immediately shifting towards the window. One foot was barely on the ground before she sprinted to the obscured glass. That was it. 

He was in pain. She had to know why.

Her arms reached out for the cloth. Fingers gripping the tightly wound fabric best they could, she attempted to pull it towards her. She made a grunting noise as she tugged it away from the window. It had no effect. 

The scream echoed again from outside. Gwen tugged harder this time. It remained in its place, almost as though it were silently taunting her. Desperation forced her to pull more violently on the third go. Still, though, nothing happened. 

Frantically, her body jerked, moving to look for something to tear the cloth with. More loud booming noises came from outside. 

The panic surged within her. She had never felt herself run so fast. 

She heard yet another scream, luckily, it didn’t appear to be her grandfather’s. Not sure whose it was, she continued rifling around for any sort of object to allow her full view of the outside. 

Fiercely, the princess rummaged through both her antique armoire and her large chest within a matter of seconds. The only items presenting themselves to her were clothes, books, maps, and semi-tattered scrolls. She ripped open every drawer her hands could find. It was much of the same.

Gwen reached up to run her fingers through her hair, atypically gulping and whimpering, that helplessness she detested looming over her like a cloud. 

She didn’t know what was happening out there. Her grandfather could be badly injured. Thinking about it made her mouth sour and eyes water, but...he could be getting  _ killed _ . After Ben’s battle, he hadn’t let anyone else join him. He was alone.

And all she could do was speculate.

Her hands burned with the urge to do more than that, while her chest simultaneously constricted because of the overwhelming amount of concern.

Then she felt her crown stop her short again. 

_Her_ _crown_. 

Tugging the piece of jewelry out of her red hair, she proceeded to race towards the covered window. Standing on the balls of her feet, she reached up and pressed the tip of crown against the cloth. Quickly, she dragged it downwards, forcing the sharp edge to graze the fabric. A long rip promptly followed the path the crown set as it slid down the middle.

After it served its purpose, she tossed her crown behind her, too distracted to care where it landed. Gwen pulled at the now two separate sides of the cloth, yanking them farther apart and away from the window. Her grip was firm, arms stretching in opposite directions. As it spread out further, the difficulty increased. Gwen gritted her teeth and continued to pull.

The tear in the cloth then became large enough for her to see the full view. 

And it was sickening.

Dozens of servants and townspeople were scattered across the grass, most blood soaked and unmoving. Some still continued to crawl, reaching around for their weapons, or attempting to awake fellow soldiers. Swords and axes shimmered against the sun’s rays on the ground. Several bodies drifted in the castle’s moat.

She had to turn away. 

Vomit rose in the back of her throat, stinging the vulnerable skin. She thought she was going to be sick. It was the most horrid thing she’d ever seen.

Her people were fighting to protect her. Almost all of them had lost their lives in the process. They probably all had families, and because of her, those families had lost their fathers, husbands, sons, uncles. 

Tears began raining down her cheeks, their trails sticky with mourning. 

Her grandfather’s reasoning for restricting anyone else from leaving the castle wasn’t so nonsensical now.

And then a sob she couldn’t help began to shake her shoulders. This monster, Kevin Levin, had taken so many lives. Her beloved guardian was out there fighting him now.

The deep roots of concern solidified, while anger simultaneously sunk its teeth into her veins. 

Gwen’s moist eyes returned to the outside corridors.

Her eyes dawned upon his figure. 

But she saw he wasn’t alone. Kevin Levin. The menace. The cold hearted menace who was trying to destroy her beloved planet. 

The distance caused the sight of them to appear small and somewhat unclear.

Though she still watched as her grandfather swung his sword out towards Kevin. He dodged the attack. Her grandfather took another shot, but Kevin’s body slumped, she thought he ducked, reaching out and kicking him in the process. Immediately, King Maximus crumpled to the ground. Kevin lifted up his foot, then slamming it onto his back. He must’ve been using all his weight, since the king was shoved harder into the grass.

Gwen moved her hands to her dropped jaw. Her eyes were flooding. This couldn’t be it. He wouldn’t end this way.

The ball of anxiety in her chest tightened.

She couldn’t  _ let _ it end this way.

If no one was going to help, it had to be up to her.

Reluctantly, she turned away from the window. Heart pounding, her feet bounded to the door. 

She tugged on the handle. It was locked. 

Her anger stirred.

She pounded her fists against the wood. Beating her hands, she moved them back, then bashed them down again. “Helen!” she screamed, her tone almost sounding like a whimper, “Let me out!” 

The only response she received was bright red blood spitting out of the newly formed lacerations on her skin. “AGH!”

Once again frantic to find an item of use, the princess whipped her body around. She scanned the area, desperation fueling the search. More tears tumbled from her jawline. 

The image of her grandfather out there seemed imprinted in her mind. 

She  _ had _ to get out.

Gwen’s eyes then fell on her desk chair. Without a second thought, she hurriedly darted towards it. She summoned every ounce of strength, even the ones that shrank away from such a task. She managed to raise it to her chest, as high as she could. Turning on her heel, she retraced her steps. 

She secured her feet in a sturdy position, her dominant behind. Grunting, she propelled her arms forward.

No use. The chair bounced harmlessly off the wood, one of the legs becoming slightly wobbly in the process. She clenched her jaw, readjusting her grip. Again, with a groan, she shoved the chair into the door. A creaking noise erupted from its rusty hinges, but it continued to glare down at her.

Tears were blinding her vision at this point. 

Her grandfather didn’t have anyone to help him.  _ He was going to die _ . Gwen  _ had _ to stop it.

She yelled. The sound made her throat raw with frustration, ire, sorrow, and grief, but she held onto the chair firmly. For the third attempt, she rammed the chair legs against the door.

And miraculously, it came tumbling down into the hallway.

The corner of her lips slightly pulled upwards at the sight of her success.  

She ran to check the window quickly before any guards followed the noise, luckily to again see her grandfather still alive. 

_ He was still alive _ .

Gwen dashed outside, sprinting through the doorway and into the hall. 

She didn’t get far before she saw Helen talking to Ben’s doctor.

Her eyes widened. Frantically, she pressed herself against the inside of the wall she came from. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest as they passed. But they didn’t see her. 

Keeping her footsteps quiet, she ventured in the opposite direction from which they emerged.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to get to the outside doors in time, which meant she had to improvise.

Hearing someone else walking down the hallway, Gwen was forced to duck into the closest room. It just so happened to be the library. She knew every nook and cranny in the place, so she should’ve had no problem finding a place to hide. 

But there wasn’t time to hide and wait until whoever was coming passed. If she did, she might not make it to her grandfather in time. 

Peering around quickly, the two decorative swords overseeing the rest of the room entered the princess’ field of vision. Darting across the floor, Gwen almost tripped over her dress. Though she managed not to. Snatching one of the shining weapons off the wall before her, she heard the footsteps coming closer. She had to do this now. 

Glancing briefly at the window, Gwen made a split second decision. The guards in the hallway would arrive in here any moment, most likely searching for her after finding her knocked down door. They’d drag her back and keep her under tighter supervision. There might not be a chance of escape then.

So biting her lip, she ran.


	3. First Encounter

Several guards abruptly burst through the doorway, bellowing her name. 

Gwen’s shoulder had already crashed into the glass. The clear material shattered upon impact, less painfully than she speculated, and she, along with all of the individual shards, went tumbling out of the space where the window had just been. 

A scream promptly erupted from her lungs. She was well aware she hadn’t jumped from high enough for her fall to really hurt her. The landing would be soft. 

Still, the wind nipping at her skin as she passed, and the sky becoming more distant, was frightening. 

For a fleeting second, she shot a glance back upwards, taking notice of the guard’s desperate faces realizing they might’ve just allowed their princess to fall to her death. They weren’t smart enough to know she’d survive. 

As the water got closer, Gwen’s tense body loosened a little. Though she was probably going to get a lot of water up her nose, she’d be okay.

Remembering corpses floating she’d seen earlier, Gwen took a deep breath and closed her mouth. She outstretched her arm, to insure that she wouldn’t land on her sword. 

Before she knew it, her entire body was enclosed in the moat. She shut her eyes.

The water holding her was colder than she expected for a day with the blistering sun making itself well known. Almost immediately, goosebumps prickled the exposed skin along her arms and back. 

But as soon as felt herself sinking, her legs started to kick out. Although the sword in her hand made it more difficult to push upwards, weighing her down, she continued swimming to the light above.

When she broke through the surface, Gwen gasped, lungs instantly aching for a fresh intake of air. 

She gave herself a moment to breathe, then crossed the rest of the distance to land. 

Struggling to blink, she dropped onto the grass, palms first, knees buckling. Her chest was heaving, and her entire body was dripping. For a long moment, it didn’t feel like any amount of breathing could satisfy the rapid pounding in her heart. Somewhat painfully, she coughed.

Her previous ponytail flopped downwards because of the water invading her long locks. Reaching towards the back of her skull, she tore away the cloth holding her hair up, tossing it aside.

Gwen shook her head to refocus.

There was a purpose to her fall. She hadn’t come out here for a brisk swim. 

Now that she was gaining her bearings, she forced her weight upon her feet. At first, they weren’t completely steady.

Picking up the hem of her soaking dress, Gwen was careful not to cut herself with the clunky sword. 

She ignored her wobbly stance and headed towards the last place she’d seen her grandfather. 

When she ran, her hair whipped around in her face, spraying droplets of water into her eyes. She wiped them away with her free hand and continued. 

The wetness of her clothing unfortunately slowed her down. But the pumping adrenaline ignored that.

Gwen neglected the guards roaring her name through the castle’s window, just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Her chest bumped up and down as her breathing deepened. She refused to stop moving.

She rounded the upcoming corner of the humongous wall, feet and heart both pounding. She swiped the back of her hand against her eyes once more, clearing the entirety of her vision. 

It was not a pleasing sight to open her gaze to.

Kevin Levin had her grandfather pinned to the ground with his foot. He dug his heel into the king’s spine. A wail of pain immediately followed. 

Her mouth dropped. 

Gwen was close enough to see the devious smile bubbling on Kevin’s lips. Kevin lifted up his foot, obviously preparing to ram it into the king’s skull. 

_ Oh fuck _ . 

He was...he was going to  _ kill _ him.

A knot lodged itself in her throat.

Gwen had to do something. She felt that frantic desperation surging inside her once more. It had become more nauseating and powerful than earlier. 

Oh galaxies. 

Intervening wasn’t a choice. She wasn't a soldier, but she certainly wasn't going to let some psychopath murder her own family. 

She watched as Kevin lowered his foot. 

Her proceeding scream tore her throat raw. “ _ NO _ !” 

Instantly, Kevin’s face looked up. Though just having been not far from smashing the king’s head, he moved his leg atop the ground again. 

She took his distraction as an opportunity to run towards him. Water cascaded from her forehead, flying into the wind whisking her hair around.

Gwen felt sick. If she’d been any later, he might not have made it. 

Coming close enough, she allowed her feet to stop. Once again, the growing fatigue didn't let her breathe easily.

King Maximus groaned while he attempted to move his head in her direction. Struggling to lift it, his limbs began to shake. “Gwen…you’re not,” he gasped, “you shouldn’t...uh…you shouldn’t be here.” 

Her heart clenched at the atypical frailty in his voice.

“Hold on a second. You mean like Gwen,” Kevin clearly already knew the answer, “the  _ princess _ ?”

And Gwen suddenly stood several feet in front of the monster himself. The one who’d injured her cousin. The one who’d killed more than a dozen of her people. The one who nearly took her grandfather’s life. The one who was making her chest boil. 

She took notice of his psychical appearance as he began talking to her, his voice not sounding like it contained any shred of remorse. 

It seemed like he was taller than her grandfather.

His jawline was extremely defined, pointed and sharp. The hair that touched his shoulders below it was dark and unkempt. Even she could see it was greasy.

A trail of dried blood stretched along his cheek, some fresher splotches drizzled across his limbs. He wore a black robe, one which prisoners of the Null Void were subject to wear. The sleeves were obviously ripped off, causing his arms to be shown off brilliantly. They were heavily muscled. It practically bulged out from under his undernourished skin. Large tears decorated the bottom half of the cloth as well, a smaller one in the chest area. He was pale, which displayed the few scratches and blemishes exquisitely, but made him look as though he was rarely fed healthily. On both of his wrists he bore all sorts of marks, cuts, and ugly colored bruises. Gwen figured those must’ve been from wearing chains in prison. He had obviously just escaped the Null Void. 

And he’d come for her grandfather.

But she had to admit, he was ruggedly handsome. 

Then...he began to speak, and that thought dissipated quicker than it appeared. 

“Three Tennysons in one day,” Kevin cracked his knuckles, “Must be my lucky day.”

She gritted her teeth. She had to be very careful what she said to him, since she didn't want to give this beast any more advantages than he already had. Obviously, she was much more intelligent than him. But currently, he possessed the upper hand. 

Though she still permitted the snarky words in her mouth to shoot out. “You’re uglier than I thought you’d be.”

Kevin smirked, some sort of momentary breathy laughter escaping his nostrils. She didn’t know why he found her comment amusing. “Well, I guess you’re gonna get the pounding first.”

The redhead swallowed, quietly enough to not let Kevin hear her. “Not too smart to kill the princess,” she bit out.

Kevin jerked his attention back towards her. “You don’t look like you can fight,” he responded, eyes raking across her body, immediately making her feel far too exposed, “You just look like a stupid girl.”

Gwen pursed her lips. Even if it was just a threat, she’d never been this close to death before. But as it stared her in the face, she realized she wasn’t quite as scared as she thought she’d be. Just irritated. “Well, this  _ stupid girl _ isn’t afraid to take you on.”

He cracked a smile that was both disturbing and playful enough to nearly get her to jump. “Then you’re even dumber than I thought.”

The look on Kevin’s face and the rising in her cheeks he was evoking toggled her back and forth between fear and anger. “I’m sure you’d like to think so.”

Kevin chuckled, a fresh burst of insanity passing his lips. “I’ll just give you the same beating I put on your grandfather.” 

The king was slowly starting to move, barely able to get himself to stand up. “Don’t...touch her…”

“I’m better than you’re giving me credit for.” Gwen narrowed her eyes. “So go ahead.”

A twisted, excited expression of sorts painted upon his features. “Gladly, Princess.”

Her fingers readjusted their position on the sword. “You don’t get to call me that.”

“Gwen…” Max sputtered, “Don’t fight him…”

Kevin spun on his heel, striding towards her grandfather again. “You, old man, need to shut up.” He rammed his tightly closed fist into the center of the king’s gut, voice lowering. “I want you to watch me kill her. But if you keep pissing me off, that’s not gonna happen, and I’ll have to pound you into the ground first.”

As her grandfather howled in pain, Gwen promptly yelled, “Get away from him!”

He kicked his adversary in the stomach before raising his head to her. Max collapsed back onto the ground in a crumple, hissing due to his agony. The princess’ eyes stung at her beloved grandfather suffering. Her mouth went sour.

Kevin strutted up towards her. “Or what?”

Closing her mouth, she forced herself to look at him, bringing the sword up to her face. Her words weren’t as harsh as she intended. “You don’t wanna test me.” 

He flashed his teeth smugly. “Gotta tell you I ain’t all that scared, Princess.”

Gwen repressed the urge to tackle him. “I _told_ _you_ not to call me that.”

Kevin smiled, again diminishing the space between them. His feet were so large that it didn’t take many paces for him to reach her. 

He hadn’t lost his playful humor he was displaying earlier. It became darker. 

Now that he was close, she could see how black and empty his eyes were. No one she’d ever seen had pupils like that. She could smell the blood on him, though it’s not like she could tell whose it was. “I can do whatever the hell I want,” he commented, “because I’m gonna take over your stupid planet.” 

This monster was taunting her, teasing her, harming her grandfather. He was murdering her people in cold blood. He’d nearly taken her cousin’s life. He had no right to stand here with a shroud of superiority like some kind of asshole. 

_ Who the hell did he think he was _ ?

“You won’t get away with it.”

The corner of his lip quirked up. “Yeah? Who’s gonna stop me?  _ You _ ?”

That urge to use a sword, to fight for this purpose, all those years of building up instincts pounded in her fingertips.

Pent up frustration from being trapped inside her bed chambers was taking hold. 

“Yeah. Me.”

Her feet led the way. She charged at him. 

Gwen’s eyes shut themselves as she took a swing with her sword. Admittedly, she was a little rusty, but the practiced technique guided her swift movement. 

The sword stopped. 

And not in the stabbing way it should’ve.

Slowly, she lifted her lids, revealing to her that she didn't hit her intended target. 

At all.

“I guess you get points for trying,” Kevin remarked, his words peppered with smugness, “But I’m an Osmosian. That can’t hurt me.”

She’d met and seen dozens of aliens throughout the years. The majority of their family’s servants came from other planets. Hell, her handmaid was  _ blue _ . 

But this was definitely new.

His skin color changed. He was as gray as the steel on her blade. Face, arms, hands, nose,  _ everything _ . Somehow, he held the tip of her sword in his hand. And he didn't even appear fazed.

She didn’t like the feeling of not knowing.

“Don’t bullshit me. If an Osmosian were real I would’ve known about it.” The next words shot out of her mouth sharper than the ones before. “What are you?”

Kevin yanked the sword closer to his chest, and she nearly tripped as she was pulled along with it. “Osmosians were real once, Princess.” His breath was hot, brushing uncomfortably against her face. “And it’s one person’s fault why they’re not around anymore.”

Gwen tugged the weapon back towards her, an attempt to show she wasn’t going to be pushed around. “Then why have I never heard of them until now?”

King Maximus then tried to stand up again. Upon hearing his groans, Kevin spun around to face him. “Gwen, you...can’t fight him…”

She didn’t know if she could successfully take him on one-on-one. He’d killed trained servants. And nearly her grandfather, too, who’d been fighting his entire life. 

But she didn’t really have much of a choice. Either she attempted battling him, or her grandfather died right before her eyes. 

She knew she couldn’t allow the latter.

Gwen pulled her sword up close again, her body moving into a lunging position.

He raised his eyebrows. “You wanna take  _ me _ on?”

“ _Watch_ _me_.”

Kevin shot his eyebrows up in a bewildered mocking sort of way. “Watch you what? Get yourself killed?” 

“Watch me put you back in your place.”

The edge of his lip skyrocketed into a smirk. 

And then he ran.

He proceeded to launch himself at the princess, still powered up and wearing his different skin tone. 

King Maximus yelped, “NO!” 

Instinctively, Gwen jumped away. She let the weight shift off her feet as she dropped into a backwards roll. It wasn’t the best one she’d ever done, but once she sprung up again, it gave her breathing room. 

Miraculously, she managed not to stab herself with her sword in the process.

Kevin straightened his back from his previous bound. Gwen didn’t have the time to scramble upwards before he’d already lunged at her again. She barely managed to scurry back on her palms. His entwined fists collided with the grass inches in front of her toes.

He jerked his head up.

Without hesitation, she rammed her heel into his face. “Huh!”

It didn’t do damage to the person she thought it would.

Instantly, pain shook her to the chore, climbing up her foot, as though she’d just been slammed with a thick slab of metal. “Agh!” Her weapon toppled to the ground beside her. 

Kevin tapped a finger against his silver chest as she threw her head back. “You can’t hurt me, Princess.”

Her proceeding breath was shaky, one of her hands rubbing the bottom of her heel. “Yeah, well,” she groaned, “I’m still gonna try.”

Gwen reached for her sword. Within a split second, she expelled as much energy as she could into her loose grip around the handle. 

Kevin merely held up an arm in defense, not even breaking his eye contact from her. Upon impact, the blade molded to the width of his wrist, bending. It wasn’t a straight edged weapon anymore. His lips curled into a toothless smile. “It’s the same metal, remember?”

Gritting her teeth, she let it fall to the side. 

His fist then headed towards her face. Her back arched behind her, springing on her wrists into a another upwards stance. She nearly lost balance when the hard ground touched her heel.

Kevin jumped on his feet to meet her.

His knuckles came at her again. This time, she managed to catch them in her own hand, and flipped him against the ground. Kevin’s instincts were clearly better than hers. Instantly, upon landing, his legs swept across the grass, knocking her off balance. She fell onto his chest.

It hurt landing on his armor. But Gwen tried not to let it bother her.

His arm launched up towards her again. With her wrist, she blocked it. 

Kevin’s other hand, as he raised it, morphed. Less than seconds it took for his normal body part to expand into an enlarged sphere of silver.

She tried to move off him quickly, but he was faster. The ball at the edge of his wrist knocked into her chest. 

Her ribs made a sickening sound as the metallic limb collided into them. 

The pain was instantly worse than in her heel. Her chest constricted. In seconds it became harder to breathe.

Her eyes pooled. An aching sunk its freshly sharpened teeth into her body. 

As he secured his position on her torso, she gasped for air. His weight pushing against the injury he caused made her throat struggle to inhale and her vision spotty. It hurt.

He lowered his face towards hers. “Hate to see such a pretty face gone to waste,” he told her, smiling in what she could only assume was wicked glory, “But you gotta go.” Kevin readied his fist.

Though she couldn’t see all too well, and the pain was numbing her upper body, she was able to clench her jaw. Summoning the little amount of strength within her, she wrapped her muscled legs around his waist from underneath. She then used those limbs to force him somewhat violently to the left. Their intertwining bodies did a quick roll. 

Now she was the one on top.

Exhaling a gulp, she pushed a sentence out. “I...told you. You’re not...gonna...kill me.”

“Well, you don’t look like you’re about to kill  _ me _ ,” he remarked smugly.

“Shut up.”

Their chests were nearly pressed together, breaths interspersing. This was the closest she’d ever been to the monster.

She couldn’t see the intricate details of his face under the layer of metallic armor.

Her lips opened. But no retort plunged from them. The words got stuck.

For a second, they stared at each other. Gwen felt like she was frozen. 

Battles didn’t typically have moments of pause. 

This felt different. Like he was finally getting a proper read on her, inspecting the eyes she was sure were brimming with fear and anger. And her usual feistiness had dove for cover behind them.

It was weird.

Their shared atmosphere was weird.

Why couldn’t she stop staring at him?

The smell of blood on him started to reign her back in. 

Clearing her throat, she asked, “What do you...want with our planet? Why are you...here?” 

Best he could in his current position, he shrugged. “Simple. Revenge.”

Her brows furrowed. “What’d...we ever do…” the words trying to escape choked her, “to you?”

Genuine surprise crossed his face, the first time she witnessed anything except arrogance on him. The movement of a passing exhale in his chest briefly pushed her own body upwards.

There was an edge to his tone. She didn’t know what had sharpened it. “Oh. That explains why you don’t. He’s been keeping this a secret from you all these years.”

Gwen was tempted to punch his stupid face. Even though she knew it’d to more harm to her than him. “Don’t p-play tricks...with me. I’m...the one on top.”

But he changed that by precedingly sending a fist into her chin.

And her body instantaneously toppled backwards.

Kevin scooted out from under her legs, raising himself onto his own.

Her eyes refused to let her see straight.

She couldn’t breathe.

Kevin seemed to figure he had defeated her, his suit of armor finally diminishing.

Her view from below was hazy, clouded with grogginess and anguish.

Gasping constricted her chest, which brought pain up the entirety of her torso.

“I’d love to give you the whole story. But I gotta go finish off your grandfather.” He cracked his knuckles. “Sorry, Princess.”

Gwen could barely take an inhale, let alone speak a response.

It couldn’t end this way.

Oh galaxies. 

She’d gone through all that, just for him to take her life.

Death was always such an untouchable concept for a princess of a planet.

But right now, it’s chilling grip was sucking every ounce of energy from her, pulling her towards the imminent darkness.    


Kevin was abruptly jerked backwards. His face went wide in surprise.

For the first time, he wasn't quick enough to defend himself. Her grandfather, though struggling, lifting him by his robe, threw him violently to the ground.   


King Maximus didn’t even glance at her granddaughter. 

He wasn't showing any mercy. He rammed his foot into the Osmosian's chest. 

Kevin coughed. 

Gwen placed each of her palms on the blood-stained grass beside her. She had to witness this.

Her breaths were rugged, and one hand jumped to clutch at her torso immediately. She neglected the pain making her numb, pushing herself into a somewhat upwards position, feet flat on the ground, leaning back on her one hand.

Her grandfather straddled the monster, lifting his head up by the cloth on his chest. He seemed to have mostly regained himself. "I'm not...going to kill you, Kev," King Maximus informed him in between gritted teeth.   


K evin somehow managed to laugh, despite the blood bubbling out of the corners of his mouth. "Bad choice."   


Maximus clenched his jaw. "I'm not like you, I'm no killer."   


Kevin spit blood at him. "Yeah? Tell that to my people."   


The king wiped the red spit off his cheek with the back of his hand. "I won't take your life from you. I'll just make you  _ rot _ like...the scum you are in the deepest...darkest cell in the Null Void."   


"That sounds familiar. I think I've heard you say that before."   


Max splayed out his hand, gripping Kevin's thick neck in between his thumb and his pointer finger. " _ Listen to me _ ,  _ you rotten son of a bitch _ . You will never,  _ ever _ come after my family, or my people, again, or I will...take you down faster than you can blink those pretty eyes of yours. You got that?"   


Was he...was he smiling? "Whatever you say, old man."   


Her grandfather snarled. 

Gwen wanted to hear the rest of the conversation. Oh galaxies...she did.

But she felt a pulling relentless on her eyelids. Her palm started to lose the ability to hold her body’s weight.

The pain was gnawing away at her consciousness. 

Her hand slipped. 

The grass seemed to catch her.

Then, in a second, the blackness, like a blanket, finally encaptured her.   



	4. Fractured

Somewhat unwillingly, Gwen had been clutching at her ribs. She hated to admit that they were probably fractured, at best, but even simply breathing in and out hurt. 

She wished she’d been able to defend herself better, that she’d been more prepared. 

She’d been replaying the battle in her head for the last hour. There were plenty of things she could’ve done differently so she  _ wouldn’t _ have blacked out. If she had more time she could’ve been more strategic, planned out her moves. But Kevin hadn’t looked like he planned before he took action. And since he was on the verge of killing her grandfather, she’d had no choice. 

Gwen didn’t regret her decision. She was just suffering the repercussion now. 

Her throne was not the ideal place to sit while nursing her injury. But going to her bed chambers could come across as weak, and she didn’t want her grandfather, or anyone, thinking she was weak. 

Helen returned to her side, like she did several minutes ago, emerging from the opposite end of the room as she was looking. "Your Highness," she said, once getting close enough, "I talked to Ben’s doctor. If you’ll just come upstairs, he’ll examine your injury."   


Gwen restrained the urge to touch her torso. "Really, it’s okay. I'm fine."   


Helen’s lip turned upwards. "Don’t let your stubbornness prevent you from getting the help you  _ clearly _ need."   


Gwen shifted her gaze towards the large wooden doors all the way across the room. "I said I'm  _ fine _ , Helen. I don’t  _ have _ any injuries." Helen poked her claw-like finger at the spot of the wound. Immediately Gwen swatted her hand away. “ _ Hey _ .”   


"See, Princess? Injury."   


As Gwen opened her mouth to speak again, the big doors across the room burst open, stealing both hers and Helen’s attention. She stood up instantly. It shot a wave of pain up her abdomen. Gwen winced, and Helen shot her a look, but she brushed it off.

Her grandfather nodded towards the soldiers and servants scattered around the room. “Kevin Levin is taken care of. We won’t ever have to worry about  _ him _ again.”    


Gwen couldn't ignore a nagging feeling in the back of her brain. 

Though she wasn't quite sure  _ what _ exactly it was nagging.

The people smiled, some cheered, some clapped each other on the back. They were happy Kevin would never been seen again. He’d never disturb their planet again.  
The princess’ mind whispered thoughts of disagreement into her ears as she continued to peer at the throng emerging around her grandfather. Something stirred in her stomach whilst she watched, something that appeared unidentifiable. Something unhappy with how grateful her people were for locking Kevin Levin away for eternity. 

What the hell was that?   


" Princess," Helen said, startling her, "that wound isn't going to inspect itself."   


"Helen," Gwen replied, slightly irritated, "I told you, I'm  _ fine _ ."   


"Princess, please. Don't try to pull that with me."   


"I'm not pulling anything!"   


"If you refuse to come willingly, I  _ will _ carry you upstairs myself."   


Gwen scowled at her. When she tried to huff out a breath, though, the pain of how difficult it was hit her. And it was obvious. "...Fine."   


Helen smirked triumphantly.   


* * *

Gwen groaned as her body shifted, the pain in her ribs climbing up her throat, following each breath that did. Helen would be coming back soon with more ice. But for the time being, she just had to stomach the injury. 

According to the doctor, she’d have to stomach it for at least a month.

Her grandfather would never let her train during that time. 

Damn Kevin Levin.

He  _ had _ to kick her in the chest.

And she just  _ hadn’t _ been able to defend herself.

"Gwendolyn?"    


The princess looked up from her book to see her grandfather in the doorway, regal as ever. He was scrubbed of all the dirt, grime, and blood, and in a crisp new robe in place of his scratched up armor. The fatigue was evident throughout his body, but he held his head up high. 

There was more tension in his shoulders than he was letting on.    


"Yeah?"   


"How are you feeling, sweetheart?"    


Gwen flipped down the page’s corner, shutting the book’s cover. "How are you?”   


He smiled at her. "I've never been better, kiddo."   


Though she returned the gesture, her smile wasn't quite as genuine.   


King Maximus precedingly entered the library, striding towards the chair nearest to her. 

He sat down.

Her gaze followed him as he moved. Each step closer displayed the marks across his skin, the exhaustion pulling the bags underneath his eyes downwards. 

Something unsaid clung to the air. She felt its presence. 

It wasn’t from her, though, it was from him.   


Gwen peered at her grandfather. Of course, no one would look normal after having a day like he did. But he was still... _ off _ . "Something on your mind?" Gwen remarked.   


"I guess so," he replied.   


He didn’t look up at her. 

"Are you going to tell me what it is,” Gwen questioned, “or do I have to guess?"    


He ran his hands across his face, obscuring his pupils for a moment. Slowly, his chest raised up, then back down again. "I uh...I should thank you for going out there and saving me today."   


Gwen eyed him skeptically. What was he getting at? " _ Should _ ?"   


King Maximus sighed. "I know the outcome turned out well, but look, Gwen," he began, pausing for a second, "it could've been a lot worse, sweetheart."   


She did her best to lean back into her chair without wincing. "Yeah, but it didn't."   


He shook his head. “You're not a soldier."   


Her eyebrows furrowed. "Okay, I’m  _ not _ a soldier," her mouth parted, eyebrow raising, "but I still saved your life."   


The king exhaled through his lips. "There was a  _ reason _ I didn’t want you going out there. He’s a  _ monster _ , Gwen.”

“Yeah, a monster that was about to  _ kill _ you.” 

“I didn’t want my granddaughter going near him.”

Gwen couldn’t believe she was hearing this. She’d  _ saved his life _ . Kevin Levin almost  _ killed _ him. “You let your grandson go.”   


“That’s  _ before _ I saw what he was really capable of.” His expression turned stern.

“I know how to fight,  _ too _ , Grandfather.”

“That doesn't mean I wanted you having any part in it!”

“Without me you wouldn’t have survived!”

“Gwendolyn, I  _ didn’t _ want you going out there.  _ Period _ .”

“I  _ saved _ you!”

He was starting to raise his voice. He never did that with her. “You directly disobeyed my orders, and put your life on the line in the process!”

She straightened her back, which immediately caused her pain. Gwen swallowed it. “I don’t regret what I did.”

“Gwen, I’m surprised you didn’t get yourself  _ slaughtered  _ out there! Kevin Levin-”

“Almost killed  _ you _ , but he  _ didn’t _ , and  _ that’s _ what matters.”

Her grandfather stared at her. His mouth was not curled into the upwards smile that it was when he entered. Was he really  _ that _ upset with her for going out there? She’d stopped Kevin from murdering him. He  _ wouldn’t _ have been  _ sitting _ there if it weren’t for her. 

He was okay with letting Ben fight, but not her. Where was the fairness in that?

Gwen huffed, glaring with storms in her eyes she hoped were intimidating. She gripped the edge of the arm rests on her seat. “Did you come in here just to tell me I was wrong for saving your life?” She raised her chin. “If that’s the case, there’s not much of a point in talking anymore.”

He followed her action of taking a breath. She couldn’t tell if he was trying to regain his composure or not.    


The anger in her grandfather’s face gradually melted. “I wanted to thank you for saving me, but make sure you wouldn’t do something reckless like that ever again. I can’t have you jumping into battle all the time, Gwen.”

“So, you wanted to scold me.”

He opened his mouth to reply. But then he closed it again.

Gwen shook her head. “I don’t have to listen to this.”

“Gwendolyn-”

Dropping her weight onto her feet, she stalked out of the room, before she said something that would get her into trouble.

* * *

Everything was pitch black. He couldn’t see an inch in front of him.

They’d really stuck him in the deepest, darkest cell this time. Max was right about that.

Kevin pulled his legs further to his chest, sinking into the frigid wall behind him. The cold bricks pressed against his back, sticking to the fresh prisoner attire he was forced to wear.

He was extremely sore. The battle had weakened him more than he’d expected. When he shifted his position, he grimaced, and the shackles encasing him rattled. The bruises from his previous imprisonment were agitated by the metal tightly holding his wrists and ankles down. 

This misery was all thanks to the Tennysons. That damn king. 

And thanks to the brave and reckless princess as well. She’d been key to his demise, but had stood to the side when he was taken down. _How_ ’d _that happen_?  
She _was_ interesting, that Gwendolyn. She was beautiful, fierce, and one of the most dangerous people he’d ever seen. Even more so than some of the other Null Void residents.  

He could easily see her worming her way into his revenge. Clearly, Maximus loved her a lot. That much was obvious from the fight. 

Kevin let a smirk fall onto his lips. 

Everything was coming into play. He’d never been much of a planner, but things were starting to fall into place for him. 

He just needed to escape his maximum security prison. 

Shouldn’t be too hard. It would be his second time that week. 

 

 

 

 


	5. Tainted Thoughts

With hesitance, Gwen’s hand slowly pushed the door open. She’d been debating going to see him for a bit. But, while he did need his rest, the desire to talk had won out. 

She couldn’t go too long without missing him. And whether he would admit it or not, she knew he felt the same.

He noticed her immediately upon entrance. “Hey, cous.”

Stepping fully into his bed chambers, a smile tugged at her lips. 

Her heart clenched, though, when he struggled to sit upwards. The bandages, like on her ribs, restrained abrupt movement. It caused him to wince. “Hey yourself,” she said.

“You just missed Grandfather.”

Gwen closed the door behind her. Precedingly, she strided to close their distance. “What’d he say?”

“That you helped end the fight.”

_ What in the galaxies? _

Gwen didn’t allow the following confusion to brush her external features. But it managed to slow her pace as she moved closer. “He said that?”

“Well you did, didn’t you?”

Without straining her torso, she shrugged. It was a loose outward representation of her reaction.

Ben scoffed at her. 

Careful not to hurt him, she perched herself on the edge of the bed, comfortably enough for her ribs not to cause her too much pain. She released a short exhale. “I thought so. But Grandfather came to talk to me a little while ago.”

There were several bruises and cuts scattered across his face and arms, difficult to notice until she gained a closer view. She tried not to give them her attention. 

They would heal.

“What about?” 

“He was…” Gwen’s forehead scrunched, searching for the right words, “he was  _ mad _ at me. For going out there.”   


Ben’s eyebrows raised. “Seriously?” 

She gave a slight nod. “Seriously. I mean, I  _ know _ I’m not a soldier but-”

“But you saved his life!” 

“ _ Exactly _ .” Gwen’s mouth opened a few inches. “He was pissed because I  _ helped _ him.”

Ben shook his head. “I can’t understand his reasoning for that.”

“He let  _ you _ go.” She gave a slight eye roll. “And he claimed it was before he saw what Kevin Levin was really capable of.”

Ben frowned for a second, his brows molding into odd contortions. “Well,” he replied, “I  _ am _ a better fighter than you.”

Gwen repressed another eye roll. “Yeah right.”

“Maybe Grandfather just knew what he was doing when he kept you inside.” He pouted with faux sympathy.

Promptly, her finger pointed at his body. “Look where leaving got  _ you _ .” 

“Hey,” Ben nearly exclaimed, “I showed that monster some of my  _ best _ moves!”

It was Gwen’s turn to scoff. “They certainly didn’t seem to have any effect on him.”

“I resent that!”

“I’m sure you do, Ben.”   


“Hey!”   


From there, a full blown argument sparked between them.

* * *

They were teenagers, but sometimes, they acted like they were ten. Their childish sides tended to sink hooks into each other’s, and reel them out, often sparking one of their many arguments.  

Ben didn’t want to admit it, but Gwen had won out. And now they were calmer, enjoying each other’s company. 

Though silence brought thoughts that’d been swimming in Gwen’s mind to the forefront. For the last few hours, she’d been having difficulty escaping them. 

Kevin’s face continued to resurface. Even when she wasn’t concerning herself with him, his bloody face stared at her every few minutes or so. She didn’t know why.

Gwen tried to keep distracted. Just being thankful her cousin was still alive and appreciating the time they were spending together.

But then came Kevin again. And her more inquisitive side along with him.

Questions mounted and mounted. There was plenty to wonder about after the day’s events. 

One thing she really hated was not knowing.

Part of the reason she was such a big reader was because she constantly wanted to learn. She enjoyed absorbing information, finding some she’d never come across. Before she’d discovered that drive within herself, she rarely escaped boredom in the large castle.

It’d become its own part of her. Something she couldn’t always control.

Not that she really wanted to.

She was eager to acquire new knowledge. 

“Hey,” she said, “can I ask you something?”

Ben glanced up from the plate of snacks a servant had brought for him. Mouth full, he spit crumbs on her as he talked. “Sure.”

Gwen somehow managed to comprehend what he’d said. She did have to brush herself off, though.

When she was clean, she raised her sight to him again. “Did you notice how odd Kevin Levin was?”

Ben continued to spew on her. “You mean aside from the fact that he’s a  _ psychopath _ ?” 

“ _ Not _ exactly what I was referring to.” Her head jolted in disagreement. “He was something called an... _ Osmosian _ . LIke some sort of...I-I don’t know...a shapeshifter. But not really. I think he  _ absorbed _ my sword.”

He paused, swallowing the food. For a second, he blinked, assimilating her question. 

Waiting, she felt her brain continuing to numb with curiosity. She would become annoyed if Ben knew something she didn’t, but she still had to inquire, to find out the answer one way or another.

Ben nodded. “I remember seeing him do something weird like that. But I’ve never heard of an Osmosian.”   


Gwen frowned. “Me either.”   


His brows elevated, a quick breath passing across his lips. “Well if  _ you’ve _ never heard of it, I don’t know who has.”   


“Maybe Grandfather.” The corner of her mouth quirked downwards. “If I wasn’t so irritated with him, I’d go ask.”   


Ben popped another piece of cheese in his mouth. This time, he didn’t have to cram for it to fit. “What if he doesn’t know?”

“I’m not sure why, but I have a feeling he might.”

* * *

Gwen rose from her sitting position and hovered over her cousin. She pressed a light kiss to his forehead. “You should probably get some rest now. I’ve been keeping you up long enough.”

Ben scowled at her. “I’m not a  _ baby _ .”

Smiling, she began to move slowly out the room. “Please just  _ sleep _ , Ben. We both know you need it.”

Gwen closed the door behind her before he could retort.

Though her gaze lingered once she did so.

She was still tied to the questions that developed in the room.

What  _ was _ an Osmosian? Why did neither of them know? How had one managed to so badly injure Ben? And why did he  _ really _ come to their planet? Was there  _ even _ such thing as the revenge Kevin claimed he wanted?

With a sigh, Gwen began wandering around the hallways. Not much distance was gained before a shiver danced up her spine. She couldn’t exactly determine whether it was because of the memories of the violent battles that remained in the darkest corners of her mind, or the crisp chill breezing through that particular area of the castle. 

Everything going on was encasing her like an unusual outer shell, another layer that formed around her during the past few hours. Collecting and building, growing thicker with each additional thought bubble born in her mind. She had so much  _ worry _ over Ben, the heated anger towards her grandfather, and such a...a...well, she wasn’t quite sure  _ what _ she felt for Kevin Levin. She knew  _ something _ was definitely there. But she couldn’t decide what it was  _ exactly _ . 

_ Hatred _ , immediately ran through her brain. Hatred.  _ That’s _ what she should feel for Kevin Levin.

_ Should _ . She  _ should’ve _ felt that. 

She  _ should’ve _ despise him for all that he destroyed, for the chaos and heartache he generated. She  _ should’ve _ loathe him for hurting her beloved cousin, and nearly taking his life. She  _ should’ve _ resent him for almost crushing her grandfather’s skull.

But when she tried to swallow those ideals, she...she  _ couldn’t _ . 

Because she  _ didn’t _ feel them.

That was insane.

Gwen frowned at her herself. The only emotion towards Kevin running through her should’ve been a burning hatred. 

But, if she was honest, there  _ wasn’t _ anything like it. 

She literally and figuratively flicked herself.  _ Monster _ . Big, ugly, conceited, beast. He was  _ disgrace _ to the entire galaxy.

When she pictured Kevin in her mind, though, he wasn’t ugly at all. He was... _ handsome _ , in fact. Those bulging biceps, rugged jawline, and wild eyes...

Gwen shook her head vigorously. Was she... _ attracted _ to Kevin Levin…?

Oh hell.

“Princess?” Helen asked, suddenly appearing in front of the redhead.

She blinked, her servant’s words pulling her out of her reverie. “Yes?” she sputtered, trying to regain herself without looking as though she had been just lost in thought.

Helen chuckled, attempting to obscure it by shielding her mouth with her hand, but not succeeding. “I called your name three times. Is everything okay?”

Gwen squeezed her eyes shut, groaning slightly. “Yeah. E-everything is fine.”

Helen quirked her eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Positive.” But she only gained one step forward when she heard her handmaid ask for her again.

“Your Highness?” the blue-skinned female questioned, raising her tone a bit to insure that her words would be audible.

The redhead spun her heel to face her. “Yeah?”

“Your grandfather requests to see you.”

Gwen sighed. “Again?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

Well, maybe he could give her the answer she desired to learn.

 


	6. Hidden Truth

“You requested to see me?” Gwen questioned upon entering the room, her tone somewhat clipped. She wasn’t ecstatic he wanted to talk. But it  _ did _ present her the opportunity to figure some things out. 

King Maximus nodded, rolling up a thin scroll previously sitting on his lap, and gently placing it atop the small table to his right. “I think we need to talk.”

Gwen repressed the sneer brewing on her the edge of her lips. “I thought we already did,” she rejoindered.

After lowering his eyelids, he slipped his head into his lacerated palms. There was a moment’s pause before he began speaking. “You’re angry.”

Her glare settled on him. “You don’t say.”

He heaved a sigh. “Gwendolyn, it’s not fair for me to say you can’t be angry.” Lifting his face up towards her, he added, “But I’m still not okay with what you did.”

Gwen raised her chin, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why would you tell Ben I helped if you won’t even acknowledge that I saved your life?”

Maximus exhaled again. Slowly, heavily. He blinked at his granddaughter. “Lying about what you did and retelling it are different things. I wasn’t going to deny Ben the truth.”

Shifting her head away, she scoffed. But she repressed a wince.

Ben was the one sent back to the castle because of his injuries. He hadn’t battled Kevin Levin one on one, and prevented him from murdering their grandfather. He got the truth and she got a scolding. Why couldn’t she also have the truth? The truth that she saved him. “Why did you call me in here, anyway?”   


He scratched the back of his head. “After I gave you a couple hours to cool off, I wanted to see if you were still mad.”   


“A few hours wasn’t enough time.”

Her grandfather nodded. “I can see that now.”

Both of their gazes fell. 

Gwen sighed internally. If she didn’t have a question pressing her brain, this would’ve been her chance to depart. But there was no point in fighting her curiosity. 

She had some questions to ask.

She needed to know about the Osmosians. Where Kevin came from, and why he’d paid their planet a violent visit. For once, she didn’t have the answers. But maybe her grandfather did. And even though she didn’t possess the strongest desire to talk to him, if she wanted to find out, she had to pretend that was the case.

Gwen’s orbs moved in a semi-roll. “Look, Grandfather,” he returned his line of sight to her, “I have something to ask you.”

He shifted his head in agreement. “Alright.”

“What are Osmosians? Where do they come from?”

If they hadn’t been sitting so close, she wouldn’t of seen his pupils expand. He cleared his throat. “Kevin’s Levin’s race?”

“Yeah,” she confirmed, “I’ve-I’ve never heard of them before, and then out of the blue one just shows up and attacks us.”

His mouth fell into a frown. It looked partially like a scowl, and partially like it was on the verge of a deep exhale. 

“Gwendolyn,” he said in the midst of an outward breath sounding way too pent up, “there’s-there’s a long, and  _ complicated _ history with that race.”   


Her face creased. “Why have you never talked about them before?”   


His face gave away his internal debate. She felt unsettled. “There are  _ reasons _ they’re not spoken of anymore. I don’t think now is the best time-”   


Gwen straightened herself. “Have somewhere you need to be?”   


He blinked at her. Then he shook his head. “No.”

“So tell me,” she responded, trying to obscure the smugness wanting to invade her voice, “ _ Who _ are they? And  _ what _ are they?”

“This is not something I really want to discuss.” Her grandfather’s hands went for the back of his head. 

She blinked, the previous edge to her words dulling. “Why not? After what happened it’s only fair that you-”

He wasn’t angry, it seemed. But he wasn’t pleased either. “This is not about fairness, Gwendolyn.”   


That statement pulled her eyes narrower. “Then what is it about? Because clearly you’re not telling me.”

Her grandfather shook his head, almost sternly. “I want you to stay out of this.”

Gwen nearly jumped. “Stay out of  _ what _ ?” 

“The Osmosians-they don’t concern you.”

A scowl brimmed beneath her features. “Well one beat my cousin to  _ the verge of death _ a few hours ago, and came close to  _ taking _ my grandfather’s  _ life _ . So, you really don’t think that brings me in the loop a little?” she retorted.

He was starting to get frustrated with her. But she didn’t care. His feet adjusted on the ground, pushing all his weight forward as he leaned. “You do  _ not _ need to know about Kevin Levin. He’s in the Null Void now. Clear?”

“No,” Gwen countered, jumping to her legs. Ire numbed the pain promptly shooting up her ribs. “It’s  _ not _ clear.”

Frowning, he followed suit. “It better be. I am your  _ king _ , and I  _ expect _ you to obey my orders.”

Her mouth tumbled open, eyebrows rocketing into her hairline. Not in surprise. “You  _ just _ said you wouldn’t deny Ben the truth. Why are you doing it to me?”

“You have to trust me, Gwendolyn. I keep things from you and your cousin because I love you both.” His expression darkened. “I want to protect you.”   


Her hands jutted to her sides. “We live in a  _ castle _ ! With armed guards! And in case you didn’t notice today, I’m  _ perfectly _ capable of protecting myself.”

“Do  _ not _ start that up again, young lady.” He leaned his angrily scrunched face closer to her. “I already asked you not to discuss this anymore. That’s  _ final _ .”

“What the  _ hell _ is so important that you have to keep from me?” she yelled.

“If I wanted you to know that, I would’ve told you already. We’re done.”   


“We’re  _ not _ done!”

Maximus glared thunderously at her. He had the same look when fighting Kevin Levin. But he rarely ever used it on her. “I said we’re  _ done _ ,” he boomed.

* * *

Maximus stalked out of the room, fuming. He huffed his large chest.

Gwendolyn was so stubborn. When she was younger, he used to admire that about her. Now it frustrated him. 

Oh galaxies, if she knew the truth about it all. The war, the broken promise, damaging her connection with Kevin Levin, Kevin’s reasoning for revenge. 

He thought he’d done what was right back then. But as the years passed, he’d been struck with increasing remorse. Gwen reached the age. Maximus couldn’t be certain if that was the reason Kevin attacked. It hadn’t seemed like he’d known. 

A huge breath passed across his lips again. Gwendolyn was bright. She would more than likely find out one way or another. Until Kevin showed up, though, he was never planning on telling her, or Ben. 

Because of that, she was pissed. He couldn’t seem to prevent that.

But if it came down to protecting her, or being the bad guy, the one she directed her anger at, he would protect her, without fail. He couldn’t protect Frank and Natalie. He would undoubtedly do anything for Gwendolyn. 

And keeping the truth hidden was the only way to ensure she stayed safe.

* * *

If he wasn’t going to tell her, she’d find out by herself. Fine.

It was just so ridiculous. Talking about Kevin and his race would help her understand why he’d come, claiming a desire for revenge. 

Gwen was frustrated because she detested not having all the pieces to the puzzle, she detested lacking information. It made her feel naive and senseless. 

She was neither of those things.

Though this was putting her at odds with her grandfather, she didn’t feel bad about it at all. 

She clenched her jaw.

Growing up, she read every book in sight, taught herself varying languages and mathematical formulas. But there were two things she could never escape. Boredom, and loneliness.

Right now, it seemed one of those beasts would be easier to wrangle than the other. 

 


	7. Divided

Gwen paged through another book. Her eyes scoured across the words, the information passing through her pupils and promptly reaching her brain. 

More than a dozen history books rested beside her, piled high on the floor. With all her frustration, she’d stormed into the library earlier and ripped them from their shelves. 

She had to make sure there was no information she didn’t remember from previous readings. Throughout her life, she read, and re-read most everything in the palace. When she wasn’t preventing Ben from causing trouble, she was usually found with her nose in a book. 

But the term  _ Osmosian  _ possessed no familiarity. It couldn’t have been something buried in a some factual sentence she’d previously encountered. Though no section of her mind told her to stop looking.

Gwen grew more frustrated. If her grandfather would’ve just told her the truth, told her whatever he was hiding about Kevin’s race, she wouldn’t have to tear the shelves apart. 

They had no one except each other. It was just Gwen, Ben, and their grandfather. That was how it always was. Why was he causing a partition? 

The three of them were a unit, a family. A family didn't keep secrets from each other.

Her grandfather was the only guardian she'd ever known. How could someone she loved and trusted  _ so much _ keep her, and Ben, in the dark? Kevin  _ attacked _ them. He attacked their  _ people _ . He wanted  _ revenge _ . And...she didn't even know  _ why _ . Because he refused to grant her the answer.

_ “You have to trust me, Gwendolyn. I keep things from you and your cousin because I love you both. I want to protect you.” _

Did he not see she could protect herself? And so could Ben. 

Gwen slammed another book shut.

Taking sides was not what family did either. But her grandfather was the one who forged the line and pushed her to cross.

The library’s door opened.

Gwen kept her nose in the pages.

“Princess?” Helen called. “I figured you’d be in here. I came to check your bandages.”

“I'm busy.”

Helen put her hands on her hips in Gwen’s peripheral vision. “Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait a few minutes.”

“Not really.” Gwen rested her forehead on her palm. “I'm trying to find information about Kevin Levin’s race.”

Helen transferred the weight on her feet. “Why?” 

“My grandfather wouldn't tell me. So I'm finding out for myself.”

Helen paused. “Y’know, he probably didn't tell you for good reason.”

Gwen shifted the muscles in her jaw. Her gazed elevated. “Why do you say that…?”

Helen brushed off her previous expression with a shrug, regaining the composure she lost for only a second. “Well your grandfather’s a wise man,” she answered. “I'm sure whatever he does is the right decision.” 

“Uh huh.”

“After everything that went on the past two days, you can’t doubt that your grandfather just wants to protect you.”

Gwen knitted her brows. “Helen, you don't know something you're not telling me, do you?”

Helen’s tone increase a pitch. If they hadn't known each other most of their lives, Gwen wouldn't of noticed. “Of course not, Princess.”

“ _ Helen _ ,” she warned, “I'm already angry with my grandfather. I don't need to be angry with you, too.” 

Helen shuffled towards her, a slight head shake to follow. She crossed the floor. “Let me see your bandages.”

Gwen’s weight jumped to her feet as she departed the chair. She swallowed the pain promptly climbing up her ribs. “Don't change the subject.”

Helen reached her hand out. “I'm not changing the subject, Gwen. I just don't have anything else to say.”

Gwen stepped back. “ _ Don't _ .” She pointed an accusatory finger. “I can tell you're lying to me.”

Helen feigned confusion. “I don't know anything-”

“What is with all the lies around this place? Can't anyone just tell me the truth?”

Helen sighed, dropping her shoulders. Staring at the ground, she hesitated. She was reluctant. “I can't do that, Princess.”

Gwen nearly growled and gasped at the same time, having gotten her to relent. But she remained calm. “Why not?”

“You remember how your grandfather brought me here from the town streets when I was a kid?”

Unsure of where her pointed was headed, Gwen nodded.

“In exchange, I was sworn to secrecy.” 

“Secrecy about what?”

“About everything.”

Gwen raised her chin. “What's everything?”

“Everything your grandfather doesn't want you to know.”

“Holy galaxies,  _ Helen _ , you  _ have _ to  _ tell _ me,” she demanded. 

“Look, I'll always be your grandfather for taking me in. So I can't.” Her expression shifted. “Exactly.”

“ _ Exactly _ ?” Gwen cocked her head. “What are you-”

Helen looked over her shoulders. Almost like she was afraid of getting caught. When she turned back, her voice dipped to a cautious whisper. “Gwen, all I can tell you, is that your grandfather kept a journal…I think. After everything that happened. It's a rumor among the staff members. But none of us have ever dared to look for it. It probably has the answers you’re looking for.”

Gwen’s eyes widened. A triumphant smirk teetered at the edge of her lips. “These books aren't doing me any good.” She gestured around. “I  _ have _ to try that.” 

“Gwen-” Helen outstretched her palm to Gwen’s arm. “I've found a home here with your grandfather. You can't let him know you got that information from me.”

She nodded. “The thought never crossed my mind. Thank you, Helen.” 

* * *

Sneaking in had been easy. He was across the castle, conversing with Ben’s doctor. 

Finding those damn journals? Not so easy.

Gwen kept faith they weren’t truly just a rumor among the palace staff. They existed. They would provide her the answers her grandfather wouldn’t.

She sighed. 

Maybe, though, he burned them after whatever happened. Maybe he threw them into the moat. Maybe he ensured she nor Ben could ever uncover them.

Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose.

The bookshelves held nothing. She examined every individual one, and looked behind, underneath, and on top of each. She inspected under the bed, in the chair cushions, drawers, and cabinets. She just hoped she wouldn’t have to try something as extreme as the floor tiles if her next attempt failed. 

Sitting on her knees in front of a rickety wooden chest, her patience only thinned. 

“Not it...not it...not it…”

She continued to rifle through with no luck. It merely consisted of old junk from her and Ben’s childhood; toys, clothes, stuff of the like. 

Gwen pulled out Ben’s former favorite shirt, the one he always used before he finally accepted wearing royal attire. The white and black cloth she’d grown accustomed to seeing on him. Those days, saturated in childhood innocence, seemed so far out of reach. Fair enough, that back then they weren’t ready for whatever Grandfather was hiding. But he didn’t get the right to keep it from them now. Placing it aside, she retrieved more forgotten toys. No journal.

Her movements quickened. 

Piling everything in her lap and next to her, Gwen neared the bottom of the chest. 

“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. Still nothing.

Her hands withdrew the last remaining objects. Just some baby clothes she didn’t remember using.

She huffed. Where the hell could it be?

Without straining her torso, Gwen glanced into the chest. Empty. 

Grandfather couldn’t know she was ever here. It all had to be cleaned back up. 

Her proceeding exhale was harsh on her abdomen.

She dropped one of the bigger toys into the chest, although her fingers grazed against something in the process. Something metal.

But there hadn’t been anything else left...

Curious, she placed the object beside her once more. She reached for the same spot. To her surprise, a handle, about as big as her nail, resided on the bottom. Her brows furrowed. Gripping it with her fingertips, she pulled it towards her. 

What originally seemed like the chest’s base, passed through an inconspicuous slit on the side closest to her, gliding into the empty space. Both the handle and the incision camouflaged into the color of the wood. Gwen hadn’t even noticed. But if her focus wasn’t entirely consumed by her search, she probably would’ve. 

Her mouth dropped. She found a concealed compartment. 

_ Oh galaxies _ …

A black leather bound book, coated in dust, as was everything else, caught her eye.  _ The journal _ . 

Her grasp immediately outstretched for it before she swallowed. 

Grandfather had been hiding this, whatever it was, all Gwen’s life. This couldn't of been something small. If it was, he would've told them years ago. The three of them told each other most everything.  _ Families shared _ . 

Hopefully it held the answers to the reasoning behind Kevin’s desire for revenge. But maybe it would alter her perception on a lot of things. Maybe it didn’t possess what she was needed to know. 

She couldn’t let any of those thoughts stop her. Brushing away the dust, Gwen flipped to the first page.


	8. Chapter 7: The Journal

_Since I can't talk to anyone else about my guilt, this journal is the only thing that's going to keep me sane._

Gwen swallowed.

_Every member of the staff has been sworn to secrecy, on my orders. So Ben and Gwen will never find out. To protect them._

_For Carl, Sandra, Frank, and Natalie, I promised to always protect Ben and Gwen. Now, they're all I have left._

Carl and Sandra were Ben's parents, Frank and Natalie hers. Okay. Grandfather at least gave her and Ben their names some time ago, when he recounted the story of their passing.

_Maybe I'll tell them when they're older._

_Keeping their parents' deaths secret isn't exactly fair. I mean, I can't give them the truth without feeding them a lie._

Grandfather claimed their family died in a fire. She'd never felt the grief, because she'd never even gotten the chance to meet them. Gwen possessed no memories of them. Grandfather and Ben were the only family she ever knew. For her whole life, the only family she thought she needed.

But if that was really the case, why the hell did Grandfather write _keeping their parents deaths a secret_? What the hell was he hiding? And why the _hell_ were she and Ben kept out of the loop?

_Then again, maybe keeping everything isn't exactly fair._

_But they're my grandchildren. They're my beautiful, innocent grandchildren. I can't expose them to the darkness of the Osmosian War. The darkness of their parents' deaths. Especially Gwendolyn. Her ties run deeper than Ben's. When I look at her little face...I can't believe she was supposed to marry one of those monsters._

Surprise pulled the corners of her mouth into opposite directions before a short breath followed. _That's_ what Grandfather wanted to hide?

She couldn't decide whether she was more stunned at the information or angry she'd been denied it.

Supposed to marry one of them...she couldn't completely comprehend the idea of spending her life with someone from a race she didn't realize existed until _yesterday_.

She was the princess. Sure, she'd been engaged to someone on a different planet. Reasonable. But how come she never heard about this before? How come she'd never heard about _them_ before?

Predestined destiny. Maybe...maybe if she about them she'd still be subject to that engagement.

Gwen flipped the page, causing something to slip out. A thin square of paper.

The object landed face down on the floor. Her fingers curled around the edges.

While turning it upwards, she realized it was a colored drawing of two people. Two people looking similar to her. A woman with the same hair, same eyebrows, same lips. A man with the same jawline.

Her stomach knotted. She possessed no doubt they were somehow related to her. But not a single date had been written across any section of the canvas. No clue led her to who exactly they were.

A knock stirred her attention. Someone was asking for her grandfather.

Holding her breath, Gwen waited. Each of her limbs froze in place.

When the guard didn't get the response he was looking for, he departed.

 _Can't risk someone finding me_. _I have to go_.

Quietly, she began to pack everything back into the chest. But she rested the journal aside.

There was so much more to discover.

* * *

_I lost Verdona. I lost Carl and Frank. I lost Sandra and Natalie. And I lost Ken before I even got to meet him._

Gwen frowned, readjusting her body in her desk chair.

Verdona, her grandmother, went on excursions all across the galaxy. After one trip, she never came home. Though Grandfather didn't particularly like going into further detail about her than that.

But who in all the galaxies was _Ken_?

_I refuse to put Ben and Gwen in any position where they'll feel suffering, or let anything taint their purity with the darkness of my actions._

_Every day, I have to live with the guilt of my childrens' death. And that's on top of the Osmosian War._

_I was so angry…I saw no other choice. Now I think I regret making sure every last Osmosian was dead. Not every single one was guilty for killing my children._

And Gwen's _entire_ world spun.

A noise nearly resembling a whimper pushed open her lips.

Breath quickening so quickly her ribs yelped, she struggled to swallow. The calm died in her chest as an amalgam of a grunt and a scream erupted. The following storm in her head sent her whirling, and formed the raindrops of tears promptly spilling off her cheeks.

Gwen hurled the book against the furthest wall in her chambers.

Nausea ripped her senses from her control.

Someone attacked their home. Tried to take so many lives. Grandfather was furious. But apparently he'd done the same thing. The difference being, he succeeded in his mission to kill people.

Footsteps from behind shook her.

Sniffing, she wiped her face. "Grandfather," she threatened, tears seeping between her lips, "I _swear_ , if you need to talk _one more time_ -"

But someone else answered. A thicker, smoother, _sexier_ voice than she anticipated, eliciting an unexpected gasp. "Don't worry, Princess. I ain't him."

Goosebumps slithered up the stretch of her spine. Her feet moved before any other limb, whipping her body towards the voice.

Fresh from the Null Void, he grinned at her. Like they were two friends meeting up. Like there was nothing wrong.

Caught off guard, her previous demeanor melted into her feet. "What are you doing here? I-I thought you were in the _Null Void_ …"

"Miss me?"

She straightened. "What do you want?"

He shrugged. "You."

" _What_?"

"Oh, I'm still here for revenge." The glint in Kevin's eyes made her more nervous than she'd felt near him during their first encounter. "But this time, it means I'm takin' you with me."


	9. A Deal's a Deal

“No way in all the galaxies is that gonna happen.”

“You’ve got so little faith in me, Princess.”

“Remember who won last time?” she retorted, clenching her fists. “Lemme give you a hint;  _ not _ you.”

He cracked his knuckles. “Grandpa had the assist on that one. And I don’t see him around here.”

Gwen raised her chin, averting answering his statement. She didn’t want to admit it was true, although they both knew it. “How’d you get out of the Null Void?”

“The guards were so charmed by how handsome I am, they let me walk right out the front doors.”

“I’m sure.”

Helen’s abrupt entrance stole whatever response Kevin nearly expressed. At the sound of her voice, both their attentions turned. “Princess?” Helen questioned, striding through the open doorway. Gwen’s eyes widened.  _ Damn _ her timing. “Find the journal?”   


Kevin pounced, faster than Gwen could cry out a warning. He wrapped an arm around the width of her torso, cupping a hand over her mouth. 

Instantly, she started to struggle, but he gripped tighter. 

Gwen held up a palm, her face stretching into a mask of panic. So quickly, he managed to switch between cocky and playful to  _ evil _ . “Kevin,” her heartbeat quickened, “let her go.”

Scoffing, he cocked his head. “Caring about people shows  _ weakness _ , Princess. You’ll see, that's exactly how I’m gonna take down Max.”

“That’s not true, Kevin. Caring about people only makes you stronger,” she argued. “And you’ll never be able to defeat my Grandfather.” 

_ In a way, caring about people is how Grandfather won the war, isn’t it? _

“If only you knew how wrong you are.”

Cautiously, Gwen stepped closer. “ _ Kevin _ . Let her go. This is between you and me, okay? Helen had  _ nothing _ to do with this.”

“Technically, it’s between me and your grandfather.”

“Okay,” she repressed an irked eye roll, “fine. But that  _ still _ doesn’t include Helen.”

Kevin stared back at Gwen. Her gaze was stronger, because it flickered with tense anger. Though his charming, malicious, mysterious eyes made his more dangerous. Still looking at the princess, he removed his hand from her servant’s mouth. “Helen. Lemme ask you a question.”

She snarled. “Rot in hell, you monster.”

Kevin smirked. “Well, I think that comment brings her in the loop a  _ little _ , don’t you, Gwen?”

“ _ Kevin _ . Let. Her. Go.”

He flashed his free hand, like he was motionlessly waving her order off. “Patience, Princess.” Kevin flexed his fingers against her dress. “Helen, did you know about everything Max kept from his dear granddaughter?”

Gwen further closed the distance between them, answering first. “I already know. If you’re trying to make me mad at her, there’s not much of a point.”

“Yeah,” he raised his brows, “but do you know  _ we _ were supposed to get married?”

Helen froze, going still in Kevin’s hold, eyes going wide. 

Gwen’s knees nearly buckle. “What?”

“Ah.” Kevin grinned. “Didn’t think so.”

Helen swallowed. “I-”

“I’m gonna take my  _ fiancé _ back to my ship. But, I need you to do one favor for me first.”

Heading clearing, Gwen narrowed her eyes. “ _ One _ , you’re not taking me  _ anywhere _ . And two, I am  _ not _ your fiancé.”

“Guards!” Helen shrieked.

Kevin’s composure melted. He growled. “You little  _ bitch _ .”

He hurled her body across the room. She slammed into the furthest wall, crumpling against the floor. 

“ _ No _ !”

Gwen launched before she could even contemplate it.

“I don’t wanna hurt you, Princess.”

When they collided, an  _ insane _ amount of pain across her torso stole the breath from her lungs. The injury he’d caused earlier forced out a sound resembling a whimper. “I,” she ground out, “want to hurt  _ you _ .”

For the second time they met, in a straddling position, she forced all her weight onto his chest. 

“No you don’t,” he simply replied. 

“You don’t know  _ anything _ about me.”

He leaned his face closer. “I know more about you than you know about yourself.”

Several guards, with their armor clinking and clanking, burst into the space. “ _ Let go of the princess _ !”

Kevin thrust his weight forward, pushing an unexpecting Gwen under him. She yelped. While on top, he slid her out from under, and lifted her over his shoulder. Kevin proceeded to whip her forward so she landed on her feet. She stumbled, knees weak, but she fell into his chest. He held on tight. 

“Freeze!” One of the guards shouted. 

Reaching his hand out to the closest wall, Kevin absorbed the material, like he did when they originally fought. His body became shielded in the stone’s dark gray. He morphed his hand into a long, pointed sword, pressing it against her neck. 

“Now,” Kevin said, “if you don’t want me to kill the princess, you’re gonna do me a favor.”

Gwen, grunting, wiggled. His grasp was unfortunately too strong. Her attempt to break free made him hold tighter. 

Pressing his lips against her ear, he calmly whispered, “Don’t fight.” 

His hot breath sent prickled goosebumps up and down her spine. She listened. 

Kevin raised her chin with his blade. “None of you are who I want to talk with. So gentlemen, go grab the king. Do it now. If he doesn't show up in five minutes, the princess is only gonna have four left fingers.” He pointed behind him at Helen. “Oh, and take her with you.”

* * *

In those five minutes, Gwen decided it was best not to fight. For one, she needed to find out exactly what he wanted. And, she didn’t desire to lose a battle with him again. Besides, it made time for conversation. She could get information from him no one else would tell her. 

She turned her head towards his, creating less distance between their faces. The space was close enough for her to inspect his pores and peach fuzz. Effortlessly on his part, all his features caught her line of vision. Defined jaw, pointed nose, soft skin. Though dirt besmirched the entirety of his skin and grease inundated every visible lock of hair. It compelled her to stop and think,  _ when was the last time he bathed? _

His weaponized hand drooped, still hanging at her collarbone, but not threateningly anymore. 

“How did you know we were supposed to be married?”

The dark, rounded eyes that resembled a starless night sky previously  _ so _ intent on staring at the door, focused in on her. For once in the past few days, somebody just granted her the answer to her question. “I was a few years old at the time. Four or somethin’.” His jaw muscles twitched. “There’s uh, there's not much about the war I forget.”

She couldn't have stopped herself even if she wanted to.

His response popped the bottle off her bottled up curiosity and confusion. “Tell me about it.”

“Huh?” His brows knitted. 

Looking into his eyes, she didn’t feel angry. Oddly enough...it  _ relaxed _ her indignation. The answer of why reached beyond her. He was  _ different _ while it was just the two of them. Almost...almost  _ softer _ . 

In a way, they were  _ both _ victims of the war. And she felt no urge to raise her voice to anything above a coaxing calm when speaking. “I don’t really know a lot about the war. But clearly, you do. So, tell me about it.”

To her surprise, he didn’t even  _ argue _ . After everything she’d gone through just to get the slightest bit of information, now some was simply  _ shared _ with her. He just... _ obliged _ . “Whataya wanna know?”

“How did my parents die?”

His lids narrowed. Simultaneously nodding and exhaling, he said, “Alright. But you gotta remember somethin’, okay?”

She gestured her head in agreement. 

“ _ We _ didn’t start the war. Both your planet and mine couldn’t take the feud anymore. It was just kind of a mutual thing.”

Certainly not the way Grandfather made it sound. “Okay.”

“The Osmosians, my people, planned an attack. It had to do with us. ...You and me, I mean. At first, the engagement was legit. We wanted peace. But the king...he couldn’t go through with it. After all the lives lost in the battles, he wanted to do what was right for his people.”

“That’s what my grandfather always says.”

“I’m not surprised.” Kevin scoffed. “But, anyway, he decided to invite your parents, to discuss the terms of our engagement.”

“Hold on,” she interrupted, “so  _ that _ means-”   


“Yeah. The king was my dad. I was the only heir. And like me, you were an only child. So it seemed like a good idea to stop the constant violence. They agreed to remain peaceful until we got old enough to get hitched. But my dad...he had other ideas.”

“Did he attack?”

“Killed your parents the minute they landed.”

Her stomach knotted. If his arm wasn’t her legs would’ve given out. “Oh my galaxies…”

“That’s how the worst of the war happened,” Kevin continued. “After that, your grandpa made sure every last one of us was dead. But he never find me.”

“What about my aunt and uncle?”  _ How didn’t he find you? _

“My dad sent a soldier into your castle to slaughter them while they were sleepin’. He planned to kill you and your cousin, too, but he didn’t really have the heart. Max...Max was gonna go last. Clearly that didn’t fall through.”

Their eye contact hadn’t yet broken. Gwen felt it pulling them closer together, despite their bodies not moving at all. He stared at her with an expression that met somewhere between angry and remorseful. To her, Kevin didn’t look like someone on a bloodthirsty revenge spree. Just a  _ victim _ . A lonely victim of war, who lost his father and everyone he’d ever known.

Gwen struggled to imagine what that felt like. She’d never known her parents, but at least she had Grandfather and Ben. And all her people. 

What had Kevin gone through all  _ alone _ ?

It clearly made him the person he was now. From what she could tell, he didn’t deserve blame. 

She opened her mouth, numerous words flashing across her vision. But none made the jump from her throat to her parted lips. 

Gwen stuttered. 

She had plenty more questions, just not enough of an urge to express them.

Whether he meant to or not, his eyes gave her plenty of information themselves. 

“ _ Get your hands off my granddaughter _ .”

Simultaneously, both of their heads jerked towards the doorway, ripping to shreds their longstanding held gaze.

The bladed hand returned to the skin on her neck. 

“Long time no see, Max.” 

King Maximus growled. “What do you want?”

“Oh, that’s easy. To make you suffer.” His tone didn't seem as heavy as their first fight. Lighter, less threatening. She wasn’t sure if he caused it intentionally, or if Grandfather even noticed. “I’m taking her.”

He gritted his teeth, fingertips at the sword on his hip. “You really think I’m gonna let you walk out of here with my granddaughter?”

“No. I  _ know _ you will. Because if you don’t, I’ll slit her throat right now.”

Grandfather glared. “You wouldn’t.”

Kevin pushed harder with his blade, duplicating Grandfather’s expression. “You know I would.”

He raised his chin. “So I either let you kidnap my granddaughter, or let you kill her right in front of me, huh?”

“I don’t  _ want _ to kill her,” Kevin answered. “But if you  _ don’t _ go with the first option, I gotta.”

“How about option number three?” Max unsheathed the sword. “We can end this right now. Once and for all.”

“Raincheck?” Kevin proposed. “That’s not really in the cards right now, Max.”

Max lowered his eyes. “Well, surprise, Kev. It was the  _ one _ card I hid up my sleeve.”

As the king charged at the Osmosian, the latter was forced to throw his captive aside. She didn’t receive the chance to protect her body before impact, instead rolling painfully across the floor. 

Kevin used the hand previously acting as a weapon against Gwen for blocking whilst Max took a swing. They held that position, each pushing their weight into the middle of the blade. Both with gritted teeth, they radiated  _ raw _ and blatant hatred. It burned in their eyes, in the force they used against one another. Even if she hadn’t known better, it clearly wasn’t a fight  _ just _ about her now. 

Much deeper history scorched every tie between them. 

_ I’m not just going to sit off to the side again. Not when I can do something. _

Gwen was tired of being a helpless princess. She was tired of being kept in the dark. She was tired of  _ a lot  _ of things going on in the castle.

At least Kevin didn't treat her like she was fragile. He acknowledged she wasn't any more delicate than anyone else. Grandfather acted as though she was merely a piece of glass, and he exposed her to anything, in the past few days especially, she’d break.

Maybe this plan was stupid. 

What choice did she have?

Fury with Grandfather didn’t justify letting him get hurt. She couldn’t watch and allow something to happen to him, no matter how angry she might’ve been. 

Okay. Kevin’s desire for revenge had gotten Ben, Grandpa, Helen, countless soldiers, and herself injured. But when she talked to him alone, he didn’t convince her he possessed that much evil. True, it could’ve merely a facade he presented. 

She just...she knew more resided below the surface. 

Hell, she easily might’ve been wrong. 

Her gut instinct told her otherwise, though. 

“Kevin!” She rose to her feet, maintaining her gaze on them. Holy galaxies. “I have a proposal for you.” 

Kevin swiftly extended his heel outward to kick her grandfather in the gut. 

Maximus instantly collapsed to his knees. Pushing him further, Kevin proceeded to plant the same heel on Max’s stomach. 

“I’m listening.”

Her eyes shifted between the two of them. Yeah, the idea seemed a lot better in her head, and trying to articulate it heavily deepened her breathing, but she didn’t see an alternative. “If you leave him alone…” she started, “if you leave my family, and the entire kingdom alone, and I mean  _ every _ last one of our people-I’ll go with you.”

His expression lightened. “Seriously?”

She nodded. 

“ _ Gwen _ !” Grandfather hissed. “What are you  _ doing _ ?”  

“For how long?” Kevin asked, ignoring the king. 

She straightened.  _ No going back. _ “Forever.”

“ _ Gwendolyn _ !”

“And you won’t try to escape?”

“I...I won’t try to escape.” She nodded.

With one look at Max’s face, the corners of Kevin’s mouth stretched to his earlobes. “It’s a done deal.”

“ _ Kevin _ !” Max’s shoulder jerked vigorously. He thrusted his entire torso, worming and wiggling. Kevin fixated an enormous amount of pressure to prevent Max from slipping out. “You are  _ not _ taking my granddaughter  _ anywhere _ ! Do you understand me?” he barked through his teeth. 

Kevin continued to smile, giving a shrug-like movement. “Oh I understand you. But a deal’s a deal, Max.”

Gwen attempted to keep her voice as calm as possible. “You have to let him go, Kevin. That’s part of the deal, too.” 

Kevin sighed. The instant he lifted his foot, Max jumped up and tackled him. “ _ You son of a bitch _ !” he snarled, reaching for the Osmosian’s neck. 

Shifting his head, Kevin failed to become fazed underneath the king’s trembling body. “Princess?”

“Grandfather, let him go.” She stepped closer.

With another growl, Max reluctantly peeled away. “ _ Gwendolyn _ .” He turned to her. Well, turned  _ on _ her. “You can’t actually believe you’re going with him.”

“I have to. Like he said, a deal’s a deal. I made a promise.”

“ _ Gwendolyn _ -”

No more of this. No more damsel treatment.

If everyone else around her could do  _ something _ , she absolutely could, too. 

She was  _ so much more _ than a helpless princess. And this would save her family. She didn’t hesitate.

The calm from seconds ago disintegrated. “Besides,” she countered, ”he can give me the information you won’t.”

Max faltered. 

Smirking, Kevin replied, “You  _ so _ should’ve killed me when you had the chance, Max.”


	10. The Beginning of a Beginning

“Gwen-” 

“I’m going, Grandfather,” Gwen answered. “You and Ben will be safe. The whole  _ planet _ will be. That’s the only thing that matters.”

“But  _ you _ won’t be safe. I’ll never see you again. Ben-”

“I know. But you’ll have each other.”   


“This is so irrational.” Max gritted his teeth. “You don’t know what he’s going to do with you!”

“Relax, Gramps.” Kevin shot him a smug look. “It’s gonna hurt you more for me to keep her alive than it killing her will.”

Grandpa ignored him, retaining his rigid gaze on his granddaughter. “Gwen, you don’t  _ know _ his kind-what they’re capable of.”

“Hey.” Kevin’s head snapped up, brows furrowing and eyes narrowing. A dangerous glint reflected in his dark pupils. “Shut the fuck up. You didn’t know my people.”

“I knew what kind of monsters they were.” Max scowled.   


“ _ Yours _ weren’t any better,” Kevin growled.   


“Your _father_ _murdered_ my family!”  


Turning to the princess, Grandfather’s bottom lip dropped. Clearly, he hadn’t meant to say it in front of Gwen, but it didn’t matter, because she already knew. 

“ _ Enough _ ,” she said, voice falling between frustrated and desperate. “Can’t you see, Grandfather? This is  _ exactly _ why I’m going with Kevin. To  _ stop _ this. You don’t  _ need _ to fight anymore.”

“Gwen, you going with this monster only makes things worse. He’s taking you away from me.” Grandfather adjusted the grip on his sword. “Forever.”

_ Forever _ gave her mouth a bitter taste. “Kings have to make sacrifices, don’t they?” 

He shifted his gaze to Kevin, neglecting to respond. “What’s stopping me from killing you, right here, right now?”   


Grabbing Gwen’s shoulder, he forcefully yanked her balance away, and, stumbling from the unexpected movement, she fell against him. “Gwen’s stopping you,” he answered. 

Gwen fixed the position of her feet. She repressed the urge to knock the following words out of his mouth. “I’d rather just kidnap her, but if you try to hurt me, I  _ will _ kill her.”

Body visibly tensing, Max clenched his jaw, exhaling heavily through his nostrils. “You bastard.”

Gwen sensed Kevin grin behind her. 

She pulled her arm. “Let me go, Kevin. I have to say goodbye.”

He merely gripped her tighter. Her foot stretched behind her, to the top of his, and she forced all her weight into a vigourous stomp. Kevin released her. 

Stepping to her grandfather, Gwen circled her arms around his neck. Her chin sunk into his chest. She swallowed. “I don’t forgive you for never telling me about all this. But I love you. Thank you for taking care of me and Ben all these years. ...Thank you for always being there.”   


“I’m not going to let him get away with this,” he whispered into her hair, “I’ll get you back.”

Wide eyed, she recoiled, shaking her head. “Grandfather, no-”

“Alright,” Kevin barked, “Enough of this crap. Grab whatever you need, Princess. We’re getting out of here.”

* * *

“I need to say goodbye to my cousin first.”  _ Goodbye forever, I guess _ .   


“No you don’t.”   


She nearly socked him. Again. “You  _ don’t _ get to tell me what I do and don’t need.”    


His tone thickened. “Princess I’m  _ not _ fucking around. If we stay here too long, your grandfather is going to form some kind of plan to stop me.”

“If he  _ was _ gonna do that, don’t you think he would’ve already?”  _ He’s not going to stop us from leaving. This is happening.  _

“Well, I don’t wanna take the chance.”

“He’s  _ letting _ us walk away.”  _ I walked away from him...for the last time. I told him not to try anything. That was right...wasn’t it? _

“And I don’t want to screw with that.” Kevin’s calloused fingers wrapped around her upper arm, jerking her towards him. She managed to maintain her balance and keep from stumbling this time. 

With an irritated scoff, she thrusted her body back. “Let go of me, Kevin.” 

He leaned his face closer to hers, squeezing. “You forgetting  _ I’m _ the one in charge?”   


Gwen matched his expression evenly. “You are not the boss of me.”  _ Is this what I’m going to deal with? Every single day? Is this the price for my planet’s freedom? _   


“Technically, I am. You’re  _ my _ prisoner.”

“It was  _ my _ deal that got you this position in the first place.”

“Because _ I  _ beat you on the battlefield.”

“I don’t think you want me to be pissed at you.”  _ It’s worth it. _

Kevin spoke through gritted teeth. “Get whatever you need. We’re getting out of here as soon as we can.”   


Giving him a hard shove, Gwen freed herself. She huffed, irked. “I don’t care what you think you can do. You are in  _ no _ way the boss of me. Got it?”   


Kevin raised his chin. “Just hurry up.”

* * *

“You could’ve given me more time to say goodbye to my cousin.”  _ I’ll never see Ben again.  _

“You had enough time. Besides, he was asleep anyways.”

Gwen lowered her eyelids. “You’re a jackass.”  _ Maybe it’s better that way.  _

“That’s my middle name, Princess.”   


“I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true.” She tilted her head.  _ But what if Ben had been awake? He would’ve tried to stop us. He might’ve gotten himself killed. _ “This is your ship?”  _ No. I’m the only one who can do this. I’m not letting anyone else get hurt. That’s the whole point. _

But this wasn’t  _ just _ a plan anymore. Taking steps away from the palace, a small bag of belongings across her shoulder, the idea coming true made her head spin. 

“I’m guessing you didn’t pay for this?”   


“You guessed right.”

A pit in her stomach started to pull all the confidence away.  _ Is this kind of insane? Leaving my home, my only family, to be with some guy whose dad killed my parents? _

_ Grandfather even called him a monster. _

Her eyes flicked to his face as they walked. 

_ He didn’t look like a monster. _

The sympathetic pangs from his story slammed into the forefront of her brain.  _ “I was a few years old at the time. Four or somethin’.”  _ Gwen kept pace with him as they continued through the palace’s backyard.  _ “You gotta remember, somethin’, okay?  _ We _ didn’t start the war.” _

Monsters were cold and evil, malicious and merciless. She’d been reading about them in stories since she was a kid. And she  _ never _ pictured them looking like this. 

How could someone that showed her vulnerability be a monster? 

...Unless he was playing some sort of angle.

The thought formed a knot in her stomach, bringing a gulp of nausea to the surface. 

But the answer to that, was yet to be determined. 


End file.
